Here is the end-to-end process for painting a bird using the Chinoiserie painting method.

My goal is to create a lot more of these tutorial videos. Please help me by subscribing to my newsletter!

Please accept my apologies in advance: for the sake of filming, I couldn't adjust the painting's position or get too close—otherwise, you'd only see a head full of hair! 😄 As a result, the painting may not appear 'perfect,' and sometimes you do see me struggle with my brush marks, but it will provide you with a good understanding of the process.

Level: intermediate.

These is the first video tutorial I have created. It doesn't have sound, but I will get better with time and will try to record my comments as I am painting.

Materials List

You will need paint brushes for Chinese Art. I will write a blog post on Chinoiserie paint brushes and insert the link.

You need two water containers one to rinse your brush and one to pick up clean water.

You also need a paint pallet, which for me is a clear white plate on which I can squeeze the paint and mix colors.

Regarding the paint, I am currently trying the Marie's Gouache, which is a very affordable artist grade gouache. Perfect if you are starting out with gouache paint.

Regarding the colors mentioned in this tutorial, it is implied that they are all Marie's Gouache unless otherwise mentioned.

For the paper, I use a watercolor paper block at 300 gsm. Make sure it is glued on four sides, otherwise it will buckle and that could be annoying when painting.

The Drawing

Draw the bird or use the linked template.

 

The Base Layer of Paint

Note: Make sure the paint is fully dry between each of these steps. Once you get a bit of experience, you can work on different areas of the painting in parallel. I will not mention this each time, but it is implied that I let the paint dry before coming back to the same area.

The belly

Apply the first layer of paint to the belly of the bird as per the video.

Colors

I used Marie's Rose for the base color and Marie's White to blend it.

 

Base Layer for the wings

I have painted the beak, the head and the back following the same process as above.

Colors

I used a bit of Pale Green for the beak (diluted with water). 

For the head and the back I used a mix of Yellow Ochre and Burnt Sienna, and some White to blend.

Now I use a some Sap Green for the base layer of the wings.

Part 2 Second layers, blending and softening...

I wasn't happy with the base color of the wings, it was too pale. So I mixed in some Olive Green and I applied it on top of the Pale Green. Now I am starting to blend each feather with some White paint. 

Note that I use two brushes to soften my brush strokes. One brush has the paint (notice the white tip of the brush) and one brush only has clear water. I come and "catch" the edge of the white paint to soften the mark, as per the video.

Blend all the feathers with White paint and soften the edges of your paint marks. I use the two-brush method as explained above, one brush with the paint, one brush with just clear water.

Now I go back with the green and continue to define the center of each feather. I also use the two-brush method to soften.

 

Paint the feather on the lower part of the wings using the Lamp Black paint color.

Using Lamp Black, put some detail on the beak. I did struggle a bit because it's far from me -I couldn't get closer because of the camera- and needed a bit of precision, but it worked. 😅

 Using a Mix of Olive Green and White, lay the background color for the eye.

 Add some White paint on the lower part of the long feathers and soften the edge with the second brush with just water. 

 Do the previous step a second time...

 

 Now Paint the base color for the tail. I used a mix of Burnt Umber and Burnt Sienna.

 

Now let's start on the base layer for the feet using Umber Deep. 

 

I am adding more detail on the tail. I have added some Crimson Red on the lower tail feather and some White on the centre line of the feathers. I am really struggling because of the angle. By all means do turn your painting around to an angle that suits you!

Now let's add details on the eyes and feet using your fine, pointy brush. I used Lamp Black for the details on eye and Umber Deep for the details feet.  

Optional step:
Add some underlying lines on the wing feathers. This optional. To be honest I don't usually do this but I wanted to try something new.

Add details to the beak and the eye using the fine pointy brush. I used Deep Umber for the beak and Lamp Black for the iris of the eye and a dot of White for the light reflection.
Add the second layer, a mix of Burnt Umber and Burnt Sienna, to the head.

Then I add some White on the center of the tail feathers. Struggling with this angle, so turn your paper around!

Note: This step was very messy for me. I tried to add detail to the wings but I didn't like the end result. So I "erased" those details with a bit of water on the brush.

As a last step I added some fine lines to the belly of the bird using a mix for Rose and White. If the lines seem to sharp for you, you can soften then with the water brush, using just clear water. Do the same think with the head with the mix of Burnt Umber and Burn Sienna. And soften the details with the water brush.

I hope you enjoyed this tutorial. My goal is to create a lot more of these tutorial videos. Please help me by subscribing to my newsletter!